


The Master's Apprentice

by HeartsAndBones



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: A Pinch of Angst, Bonding, Dark Side abilities, F/M, Female! Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Council needs to chill, Lightsaber Battles, Maybe a little time-divergent, Memories, Mission shenanigans, Possible Master & Padawan Relationship?, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Sass, Slow Burn, They're both of age don't worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-07-11 22:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7072591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartsAndBones/pseuds/HeartsAndBones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anakin Skywalker has been separated from her master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, for 11 years. When she must return to Coruscant to complete her Jedi training under Obi-Wan, neither of them knows what to expect. Discover how they learn to work as a team again, fight against the Separatists, and rebuild a lost connection</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Obi-Wan Kenobi watched as several Jedi hurried past him with their padawans. Every time he saw masters and their apprentices in lighthearted moments like this, he felt a pang of hurt somewhere between jealousy and loss: his own padawan had been taken from him years ago. Her name was Anakin Skywalker, a slave child from Tatooine whom he had discovered with this own master. She was incredibly strong in the Force and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon practically demanded the Council to accept her as an initiate, given she was only seven at the time and was too young to become a padawan immediately.

The whole situation of how she was taken from him was a disaster. The Council had handled it poorly, he believed, and it definitely wasn't something he liked to talk about, let alone think about very much. The Separatists launched a series of attacks on the Jedi temple targeting younglings and the younger padawans. Things got so bad, the Council decided to relocate the children to a hidden training academy on Ruusan. Obi-Wan didn't really want to leave Coruscant to train Anakin, but it turned out he wouldn't have to: the children would be given new masters once they reached Ruusan. Jedi weren't supposed to form attachments anyways, so no one thought anything of it. After all, it was for the safety of the next generation of Jedi. But Obi-Wan was crushed when he discovered he would lose his first padawan, the girl he brought up literally from the dust and bonded with so deeply in the Force.

He remembered the day when he learned of the Council's plan and he vehemently opposed it.

"Master Yoda, you can't be serious!" he exclaimed after hearing that the padawans would receive new masters

"Serious, I am. For the good of the future, this is. Form attachments, you should not, Obi-Wan, hmm?" Yoda crumpled his lips in a grimace. This plan was a last resort. Even Yoda himself didn't want to go through with it; but there were no more options to protect the children.

"But what about the Force bonds we've worked so hard to build? You can't expect us to just sever them! The only real way to do that is in death-"

"Close the bonds, you will. Very hard it will be. But possible it is. Tell the young Padawans tomorrow, we will."

Obi-Wan inhaled sharply and relaxed his shoulders, admitting his defeat.

"Very well, Master Yoda," he said, and bowed his head toward the ancient being before turning on his heel and striding away. His head spun in circles. His stomach sank. He hadn't felt loss like this since Qui-Gon… No. He refused to go there. Instead, he went back to the academy and watched Anakin spar with the other students. Her movements were sloppy and untrained, but powerful. She had so much potential. The Force was strong in her. When they found her at seven years old, they knew the child was Force sensitive. At nine years old, the Force seemed to radiate from her. The Council had discussed several times whether of not she was the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force and whether or not she was even stable enough to train, but whether none of that mattered to him anymore. As he watched her twirl her training saber around, he raked his fingers through his ginger hair and tried to calm himself. He braced himself for the storm about to unleash.

He remembered the day when the new Jedi Masters and some soldiers from the Republic army came to escort the children away. A few of them cried, several of them showed no reaction at all. Anakin didn't show any outward signs of sadness at first, but Obi-Wan saw her ball up her little fists and attempt to drag him along with her using the Force. When she discovered she wasn't strong enough, she glazed over with sadness, their Force bond radiated with anger and sorrow.

_You'll be okay, Ani. Don't worry,_ Obi-Wan told her through their bond.

_I won't forget you. You're always going to be my real master, even if I get a new one on Ruusan,_ she insisted.

_No, Ani. Your new master will guide you and take care of you. Let go. ___

Her blue eyes dimmed with tears. The last thing he saw before he shut their Force bond were two images she sent to him: the first of them training together, and the last of Anakin as a young child being led away in a slave auction (much like how she was being led away now). Obi-Wan tried his best to let go of his attachments even though that last image cut him to the core.

_Damn, pull yourself together. For Force's sake this happened 11 years ago._ He silently chastised himself for allowing his emotions to run away from him. Obi-Wan never took another padawan after Anakin. Partially out of spite and bitterness for the Council, but also so he could throw himself into fighting enemies with his fellow Jedi. Everything from diplomacy and political missions to slicing down Sith with his lightsaber, he fought courageously for the Republic. He protected countless important senators and royalty. He risked his life on missions to provide the Republic with the secret information from their enemies, and the Council was very pleased with everything he'd done. At the moment, he had just finished up a successful mission gathering intel about rumors of a clone army being created by the Separatists. He was walking away from sharing his findings with the Senate when Mace Windu pulled him aside.

"Obi-Wan, there's been a development," he sharply whispered.

"A development? About what, the clones?" Obi-Wan worried if his mission had provoked an attack. By now, Windu was practically dragging him down the hallway to the council room

"No, no," Windu huffed. "You'll see."

And with that, Obi Wan was rushed into the council room. All the Jedi masters were standing up and talking in hushed tones. Now Obi-Wan was beginning to panic. As soon as he stepped in, everyone looked at him, their faces had the same look of shock.

"Obi-Wan, come here," Yoda said kindly. The Force energy in the room had calmed, and Obi-Wan sensed that whatever had happened wasn't bad, which tripled his confusion.

"What's going on, Master?" he blurted.

"Do you remember Anakin Skywalker, your padawan from all those years ago?" Windu asked, stepping closer. Now Obi-Wan was reeling.

"Of course I remember her. Why? Did something happen? Is she alright?" Yoda looked at Mace and gave him a nod. Mace took a deep breath and began,

"She's fine. But her master, Jada Auriga, was killed on a mission last week. Anakin's training is incomplete and she's supposed to take the Trials in the next year. It will be hard for her to bond with another master at her age. The Council suggests that you take her as an apprentice and complete her training, since you had a Force bond with her when she was young."

Obi-Wan was stunned. He felt as if he'd been shocked my a thousand blasters.

"Master Windu, as much as I would love to train her, I doubt any bond we had 11 years ago will help her now. I tried to close that bond when she was taken-"

"Said it, you did many years ago," Yoda breathed. "Only in death can a Force bond be fully broken. Need your help, we do: the Council and your former padawan 

The room was silent. Obi-Wan didn't know what to think. Should he complete her training? How much could he do if she was, what, about 20 years old now? What if she resented him for closing off their bond, or refused to be trained by another master?

"Much worry I sense in you, Obi-Wan. Let the Force guide you. Do the right thing, you will." With those final words from Yoda, Obi-Wan made up his mind.

"I'll complete her training," he said, trying to conceal the delight he felt deep in his soul. "I'll do my best to prepare her for the Trials."

The council room erupted into jovial chatter and smiles. Mace Windu looked at him with a rare happy expression on his face.

"Thank you, Master Kenobi. Anakin will be here in two days. Be ready to go right into training where she left off," he said. The Force flared up under Obi-Wan's skin, and he felt a joy he hadn't felt for many years. He would finally get his padawan back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome to my first ever fanfic! I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I did writing it. Also, since I'm new to this whole thing, reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated. I'm sure there will be some mistakes somewhere along the line. The action will pick up soon, stay tuned for updates! Thanks for reading :)


	2. Chapter 2

It was the evening of Anakin’s arrival and Obi-Wan was ready to see his former Padawan again. He stepped into the ‘fresher and stared intently at his reflection.  
_Will she even recognize me? I’m beginning to resemble Yoda,_ he mused while running his fingers over his forehead, feeling the shallow wrinkles that had begun to form. Granted, he was in his mid-thirties, but stress and the elements had taken a toll on his appearance. His once chiseled midsection was no longer as defined as it once was; his arms and legs were less impressive than they were in his younger days. Obi-Wan understood aging was a fact of life. Yet, he didn’t expect it to hit him almost overnight. He heaved a sigh, put on his tunic and robes, and headed out to the landing platform to meet his Padawan.  
Obi-Wan stood between Mace Windu and Ki-Adi-Mundi as he waited to greet Anakin. Obi-Wan felt the Force stir again within him as he sensed Anakin’s energy. He wondered if she felt it too. In fact, she did feel it. She felt it so strongly, she thought it would burn her alive. The small ship’s ramp descended and she tried her hardest to contain herself. She had been thoroughly trained in Jedi decorum and knew it was highly inappropriate to sprint down the ramp, crash into Obi-Wan’s arms, and run around the temple to see if all of her favorite things were still there, even though that’s what she desperately wanted to do. Instead, she tried her best to release everything to the Force, stand up straight, and walk slowly down the ramp.  
At first Obi-Wan saw a pair of feet clad in standard-issue boots, then a pair of stocky, muscled legs, then a woman’s torso, and finally the face of a child he once knew.  
_Force, she’s grown up so much. She’s beautiful,_ he thought, trying his hardest not to gawk at her like a madman. She looked just like her old self to Obi-Wan. Well, mostly like her old self. Her face had matured from a round baby face to that of a grown woman, her hair had darkened with age and was now a darker shade of sandy blonde. When she left, she had an awkward short haircut thanks to an unfortunate lightsaber incident, the memory made him chuckle. Same tanned skin, same smile, same blue eyes. He took in the sight of her and he could tell she had been trained well.  
“Masters, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” she said.  
_When was the last time I heard her voice?_ Obi-Wan wondered. In an instant he tried to remember all the Anakin things he forced himself to forget, hoping it would help him to be able to train her.  
“Anakin Skywalker! You’ve grown up well. Your masters tell me you’re on your way to being a powerful Jedi, you were one of the best in the Academy,” Windu said.  
“Thank you, Master,” she replied nervously as she cast her gaze toward the floor. Windu continued on, leading the group inside from the hangar.  
“Surely you remember Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Obi-Wan Kenobi?”  
“Of course I remember. It’s great to see you both.” She looked both of them in the eye and Obi-Wan felt a faint warmth in their bond begin to glow.  
“I trust you will continue your training soon,” Ki-Adi-Mundi heeded, “We need more Jedi who are as strong in the Force as you are. I wish you luck, Anakin. You’ll be successful, I can feel it in the Force.”  
“Thank you, Master Mundi” she said, with a slight bow.  
“I suppose we’ll allow you some time to reconnect before continuing her training,” Windu said to Obi-Wan.  
“Yes, that would be most important.”  
Windu leaned closer to Obi-Wan and whispered,  
“Report back to the council tonight. I’d like to know what you think of her abilities, or if there are any issues.”  
“Of course,” Obi-Wan replied. Windu patted him on the shoulder and Mundi gave one last glance at Anakin before leaving Obi-Wan and his apprentice in the hall.  
Finally alone, the two locked eyes for a split second and the Force roared to life within them. Old memories swirled in their heads; the pathways of their old bond slowly began to light up. Anakin felt the Force burn within her. She wanted to tell her Master everything about her life since they were separated.  
When she tried to speak, words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. Instead, they grabbed each other tight at the same instant in an eager embrace.  
Anakin couldn’t remember the last time she cried. Was it when she fell off the top step of a sparring platform, or after a painful surgery? No. It certainly wasn’t when Jada Auriga was killed. Yet, unwelcome tears began to roll off her eyelashes and onto Obi-Wan’s neck.  
_Crying? That’s for the weak-minded,_ Auriga would have said.  
_You are weak, Anakin,_ her former Master’s harsh voice repeated. Anakin was deeply embarrassed and tried to shove the emotions away until she noticed Obi-Wan’s eyes were filled with tears too. The two pulled apart, but Obi-Wan still gently held her by the arm. She refused to cry; yet one more tear escaped down her cheek. Obi-Wan wiped it away with his thumb, and Anakin vividly remembered something from ages ago:  


_Anakin was just learning to spar with a wooden lightsaber. Frustrated, she threw it across the room and seethed with anger and embarrassment. She felt a pair of hands turn her around by her shoulders, and her Master was kneeling face-to-face with her._  
_“Anakin, don’t be so hard on yourself. You must learn control. Of your weapon, and your emotions,” he said, using his thumbs to wipe the tears off her face._  


She smiled at the memory; she had a raging temper as a child. Obi-Wan looked at her curiously.  
“What did you remember?” he asked her  
“Oh, just that time I was being a little brat and I threw a wooden lightsaber across the room, and then cried because-“ she stopped. “How did you know I was thinking about that?”  
“I could feel it in the Force.”  
“Is that a good thing?” she joked, making no attempt to hide her sarcasm.  
“That’s a very good thing, Ani.”  
Her eyes widened in surprised at the sound of her childhood nickname.  
“I’m sorry, should I not have called you that?” said Obi-Wan, sensing her shock.  
“No, no, not at all. It’s just, well, I- I never let anyone else call me that after I was taken away from here. I don’t know why. Maybe it reminded me too much of…” _Home,_ she almost said, “but it’s ok, it doesn’t bother me.”  
Obi-Wan was suddenly aware he hadn’t let go of her since Windu left, and he knew there was a lot of work to be done if they were to reestablish a functioning Force bond any time soon. He gave her one more tight hug and released her.  
“I know we’re supposed to begin your training immediately, but I would like to see if I can reconnect our Force bond first. It will make everything easier on both of us.” Anakin didn’t hesitate to agree.  
“I think you’re right, Master.”  
Master. When was the last time someone called me Master like that? he wondered. Obi-Wan felt the Force stir as it did earlier, that familiar warm glow that began in his chest and moved to his limbs, and he tried to project that feeling onto Anakin. It required much focus to project the Force onto another person, especially if they weren’t properly bonded. She obviously couldn’t feel it because her eyes were focused on observing everything she could see in the temple. He decided meditation would be the only bit of training they did that night since that was the best chance he had to explore her mind, and look for any of the issues Windu had alluded to earlier.


	3. Chapter 3

They reached Obi-Wan’s living quarters, and he punched in the code to unlock the door. Anakin remembered this place, even though she lived in the Crèche during most of her time on Coruscant. His apartment was very small: two bedrooms (Obi-Wan used to use his spare room as a study, but now it belonged to Anakin), a ‘fresher, a den with barely enough room for a couch and table for two, and a rudimentary kitchen. Obi-Wan didn’t mind how sparse his apartment was since he didn’t spend much time there, but he became aware that Anakin might hate living in such a small space and worried about it a good bit before she arrived. He led his Padawan inside and showed her to her room. Anakin sensed his unease and turned to look at him after placing her bag on the floor.  


“I know this place is on the small side for two people…” he trailed off.  


“Master, I’m sure it will be fine. The place I lived in on Ruusan wasn’t much different than this.” She took a deep breath, sitting on the bed and unceremoniously falling backwards with her arms outstretched. She stifled a sigh, which made Obi-Wan laugh.  


“Just as lazy as I remember,” he thought aloud, making her shoot back up.  


“Hey! I’m not, nor have I ever been lazy! I’m just tired, that’s all.”  


“Just as temperamental, too!” He laughed at her feigned distress.  


With that, she rolled her head back and grumbled, pretending to be unhappy. She was actually quite pleased that Obi-Wan shared her sarcastic sense of humor and didn’t interpret her banter as a sign of disrespect as Auriga had. Anakin felt the scratchy fabric of her robes against her neck. It irritated her; she thought it felt like sandpaper. Instinctively, she stood up, and began to pull off the offending outer layer. Obi-Wan didn’t realize what she was doing and panicked.  
_Is she really going to undress in front of me? Surely not,_ he thought to himself, but as she untied the last knot of her belt, he yelped  


“Ani! What are you doing?!” the panic in his voice evident. She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  


“What? I’m just taking off this itchy robe. Is something wrong?”  
Obi-Wan felt a little wave of relief, then a tidal wave of stupidity.  
_What’s wrong with you? Why the Sith hells would you think she’d do something like that?_ he berated himself.  


“Oh! I’m sorry, I- I- didn’t know what you were doing, I’m not used to-“ he stopped there before he made an even bigger fool of himself and further embarrassed his new apprentice. At that moment, Anakin understood what he thought she was trying to do. She felt her face blush hot and red, and cast her eyes down at the floor. Obi-Wan had never felt so guilty in his life.  


“No, I’m sorry, Master. I’ve lived with girls and women most of my life and things like that don’t even cross my mind anymore, I should have known better.”  
_Great._ That made him feel even worse, her blaming herself for his stupidity. _What a fantastic way to begin her training,_ he thought bitterly.  


“But, for the record,” she began, “I would never do that to you. You know…”  
Obi-Wan shuddered. Thinking of her like that made him squirm.  


“I know, Ani. You don’t have to worry. You live here too, you should be able to be comfortable… And not have to wear that itchy robe inside.”  


She smiled at his weak joke and let out a half-sigh, half-laugh of relief, thankful that he was willing to put the incident behind them. He stepped closer and helped her lift the robe off her shoulders, revealing her plain black tunic. She stood up and hung the hateful piece of fabric in the little closet.  
I wish I could burn this thing, she cursed to herself. Obi-Wan took the opportunity to really look at Anakin in an effort to assess her strength. He noted she was rather shapely, but then he reminded himself that most women are. She seemed rather muscular in her legs, but not quite as much in her arms. Could she run fast, or jump high, or carry something heavy? His eyes wandered down her back while she faced the closet.  
_Stop right there,_ he warned himself. It was a good thing she turned back around to face him at that moment.  


“What do we do now?” she mused.  


“It’s getting late… I want you to meditate with me for a while. Then you can relax for the rest of the evening.”  


“Yes, Master,” and with that, she followed Obi-Wan into the living room. The two sat on the floor, legs crossed, facing each other. She looked at him expectantly.  


“Do you meditate often?” he asked as they settled in.  


“Often isn’t exactly the word I’d use.”  


“Well now that you’re my apprentice, that will change.” Anakin copied her Master’s position: straight spine, hands on her knees, staring into the other’s eyes. She studied his face intently, from his full ginger beard to his gray eyes and the light dusting of freckles across the high points of his face. Then she noticed the signs of his aging and the deep-set circles under his eyes. He must not sleep enough she wondered.  


“Close your eyes, Ani,” he said softly. She complied although he kept his own eyes open. “Feel the Force flow through you, and through me. Let go of everything else.”  


Obi-Wan remembered the feeling he had earlier when he saw her for the first time, how the Force warmed him from the inside out. He focused his energy on the Force within him, and tried to project it onto Anakin. No reaction. Maybe he could connect through the past?. He tried to pry through her memories, but he couldn’t make out anything definite. Whoever taught her to shield her mind did a great job. He could only make out Force energy and slight feelings.  


“Don’t shield your mind,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper. He tried again to access her memories. Now he could make out sounds and images, although the images were so blurry they didn’t help at all. He focused on the noise; the clacking of wooden lightsabers, indistinct chatter of young voices, footsteps. Nothing stood out to him but he continued to listen. Yoda’s voice, a weird rustling of fabric, and then he heard something useful: his own voice. He honed in on it…

 _“Ani, stand still. You’re going to fall off this bridge if you keep moving.”_  
“Sorry, Master. But really, why are we out here?”  
“To meditate. By balancing your mind and your body, you can feel the Force in-“  
“Why aren’t you standing on the side of the bridge too?”  
“No more questions. Focus on your balance, then find the Force in the balance. It only works if you clear your mind.” Obi-Wan felt the serene waves of peace reach out through the Force, and wondered if she could feel it too. He retreated back into the memory. This time, he could see the vision clearly. Young Anakin was standing on the plank of a bridge about as high as his knees. They were in the temple gardens. He was right in front of her.

 _“What do you see, Anakin?”_  
“I see… I see… Some trees.”  
“Do you feel anything?”  
“Calm. Like the pond before we tossed the pebbles in it.”  
“Good, good. Stay focused.” There was silence for a moment.  
“Master? Are you still there?”  
“Yes.” He sensed an uneasiness move through the Force.  
“I see something gray, I think it’s a man. I don’t know if he’s good or bad.”  
“Let go of your fear.” The tension grew, then a bird squawked loudly and flew over Anakin’s head. Her eyes opened wide, she screamed and fell forward. Obi-Wan caught her and sat her down.  
“Are you ok, Ani?”  
“Yeah, it was just a bird!” She giggled, which made him smile. Then the memory faded until it was nothing. 

_I remember that! Kriffing bird almost scared me to death!_ Anakin’s voice rang in his head  
_You saw that too? Can you hear me?_ he desperately asked through the weak bond. No response.  


“Anakin, did you see what I saw? With the bird in the gardens?”  
She nodded, still deep in concentration. Obi-Wan tried to send her the warmth through the Force again, hoping maybe this time she would get it. He focused intently. Still nothing. Maybe this was all he could get today. There’s no use trying to force the bond to form if it wasn’t time.  


“Ani, why don’t you take some time to unpack and get settled? I’ve got to meet with the Council in a few minutes and I thought maybe you could use some time for yourself,” he said, bringing her gently out of the meditative state. She opened her eyes and weakly nodded, still trying to immerse in reality. Obi-Wan stood up and put his boots on, making his way to the front door while Anakin still seemed to be deep in meditation. He considered making her stand up and snap out of it, but he decided against it and shut the door softly as to not startle her. 

Obi-Wan settled into his seat in the council room. All eyes were on him. He wondered if the other Jedi could sense his emotional high from having his padawan back, or his nervous guilt from the robe incident earlier. Yet, he began his brief report:  


“I’ve spent the evening with Anakin, trying to assess how far she is in her training and trying to re-establish our Force bond. So far, she seems receptive of the bond. She shows signs of being trained well physically and psychologically. Yet, I don’t think she had the best relatioshp with her previous Master. I don’t know that for sure, though, it’s just a feeling. And I can sense fear in her,” he paused, almost stumbling on the words. “I don’t know where it’s coming from. It’s strange someone her age still holds on to so much fear…” he trailed off.  
Yoda crumpled his lips and gave a satisfied “Hmmph” while Mace Windu leaned in and began  


“Do you see any influence of the Dark Side?” He asked this as if he knew something no one else did.  


“No, I can’t say I do. Why do you ask?”  


“Her previous Master reported Anakin had-“ he stopped, sensing the tension in the room, “quite the temper. It’s been said she often used anger to fuel her training. She once broke a hall of mirrors, got into a fight and beat another apprentice so hard it took three Jedi to pull her off, and had a morbid fascination with the Dark Side. It’s been suggested she occasionally snuck out with several other Padawans and some local youth to do gods-know-what, but no one could prove it. Granted, it’s not in the report that she’s ever done anything serious involving the Dark Side, but this isn’t something we can ignore.”  
Obi-Wan was shocked. Of course padawans snuck out and did nefarious things. Obi-Wan had quite a history himself from his younger years, but the other accusations were sickening. He refused to believe it. Energetic, kindhearted, Anakin going on a violent rampage and being enamored with the Dark Side? Never.  


“No, Master Windu. But with all due respect, I’ll believe those reports when I see it in her. You know how serious it is to make claims like that against an apprentice. Just because she may have acted out or was curious about the Dark Side doesn’t give anyone the right to accuse her of actually being influenced by the Dark Side. That’s despicable!”  


“I understand, Obi-Wan. This is a serious accusation. Why would Auriga, or any other Master for that matter, accuse Anakin if there was no truth to it?”  
“Auriga and Anakin didn’t exactly get along, from what I’ve gathered. It wouldn’t surprise me if she-“  


“Enough, you two!” Yoda interjected, sensing the rising tension in the room. “Watch her closely, we will. No use in letting fear influence our judgment, hmm? Be aware, you should. You especially, Obi-Wan.” The ancient being looked deep into Obi-Wan’s eyes so he knew this wasn’t just a bit of advice: it was a warning.  


“Meet later we will. For now, rest we all must.” Everyone stood up and began to leave with Yoda’s parting words. Yet, Windu cornered Obi-Wan again.  


“Master Windu, if you’re going to keep on insisting-“  


“No. I’m not. Just watch your back, ok?” 

Obi-Wan nodded in reply and walked back to his apartment in a worried haze. Yes, Anakin had a temper and could throw a fit if she wanted to. He admitted he was stumped when it came to her supposed fascination with the Dark Side; why would she even entertain the notion? The Dark is seductive, especially to a young, emotionally charged Padawan. He resolved not to confuse himself any more: he would believe that when he saw it. As he opened the door to his apartment, he saw Anakin’s door wasn’t closed completely. Still worried, he silently peeked through the crack in the door to find his Padawan facedown in a mess of bed sheets and wavy, sandy blonde hair. He smiled to himself as he shut her door and walked into his room. Just as he was falling asleep, he felt the Force light up within him as it had before. He savored the feeling; it was almost like a gentle embrace. Where did that come from? he wondered.  
_Goodnight, Master,_ Anakin’s voice said through the Force. It sounded like she was underwater and it was hard to understand, but it was a good start.  
_Goodnight, Anakin,_ he replied. Both of them slept soundly that night


	4. Chapter 4

Obi-Wan knew exactly what he wanted to do first with his apprentice: he wanted to see how she was with a lightsaber. In the mid-morning, he led her to the training grounds and into a large, vacant hall.

"What are we going to do, Master?" asked Anakin, ignoring everything else and looking around the room as she had recently taken to doing. Obi-Wan said nothing, but ignited his lightsaber, stood in a ready position, and charged at her. She followed suit and jumped to the defensive. Her master tried to disarm her, but she snaked out from under him each time. They clashed and ducked, pushing each other this way and that in a hurried battle for the upper ground. After a few minutes, Anakin had her saber locked against Obi-Wan's. They were pushing as hard as they could against each other.

"I know you've never seen me duel before, but must you be so easy on me?" she taunted. She bragged to herself,  
_This is going to be so easy._

"If you insist, my dear padawan." He was going easy on her to begin with so he wouldn't overwhelm her, but if she wanted a challenge, she would get one, especially with that attitude. He charged against her and knocked her saber out of her hand in one expert motion. It almost hit the ground before she called it back with the Force. Obi-Wan was impressed, which caused him to let his guard down for a split second. Anakin took full advantage of his lapse and Force pushed him back just hard enough to cause him to drop his saber. She pushed the saber further out of his reach and it slid across the hall. Before he knew it, she had pressed him up against a wall and held her saber dangerously close to his neck. She stared at him with a smug grin. Obi-Wan detected her silent vaunting as if she had openly mocked him and decided to put an end to that attitude right away.

"Ah, I see you like to fight dirty. I can do that too." No sooner had the words left his mouth, he dug his fingers into her ribs, causing her to shriek and retract her lightsaber. Had she been an actual opponent, he would have Force pushed her to the floor or choked her instead of aggressively tickling her. Obi-Wan summoned his own saber back and was ready to fight again. The two whipped around fiercely, their sabers sparking and charging against one another as they fought. After a while, they began to lose energy, but the last thing Obi-Wan wanted to do was let hid apprentice get the upper hand after her extreme display of sass. He resolved to tire her out by using the Force to propel him slightly further away with each stride he took, forcing her to run to catch up to him each time they moved. His attacks were relentless and increasingly hard to deflect. Not even ten minutes later, Anakin was spent. She tried her best not to show it, but when Obi-Wan knocked her down one last time, she couldn't find the strength to get back up. Her muscles trembled with fatigue. She knew she had to give up the fight and her master wouldn't let her forget it anytime soon.

Obi-Wan took his time approaching her panting form and took a good look at her. She was plastered to the floor, face flushed, beads of sweat forming on her brow, chest rising and falling rapidly in an attempt to catch her breath. He pointed his lightsaber toward her face and knelt down close to her. Once her eyes focused on the tip of the saber, he began:

"Do you yield?"

"I yield, Master." He retracted his weapon and her eyes went straight to his.

"My dear Anakin, there's a reason why I'm the master and you're the apprentice." He paused to look deeper into her eyes. "You're a very skilled fighter, but I suggest you practice some patience. And a bit of humility."

Anakin's breathing had slowed back to normal. Although she didn't want to leave the floor, Obi-Wan grabbed her by the hands and pulled her up. She groaned in protest.

"You'll be feeling that tomorrow," her master chuckled.

"I know I shouldn't have been so cocky. But did I really hurt your pride so much you felt the need to run me to death?"

"A Jedi has no concept of pride," he said coolly. She wanted to roll her eyes at him, but decided against it for fear of what he might do if she showed him more attitude.

***

After a grueling day of training and evaluations, Anakin was desperate to head back to the apartment and rest.  
_Knowing Obi-Wan, he'll probably want me to meditate for half the night,_ she sighed to herself. Her thoughts drifted to her comfortable bed and soft pillow, then to a pot of tea she would share with her master, and then to the bathtub in the fresher. _The bathtub._ What she wouldn't give to sit in the hot water and soothe her aching muscles. But no, she was currently in the temple gardens using the Force to levitate 2 heavy rocks, a basket of pebbles, and a non-functioning R4 unit.

"Good Anakin," her master's voice rang softly in her ear. "Keep them all balanced. Don't let them move."

She tried her hardest, but the objects still bobbed slightly up and down in the air. She usually only levitated one or two large objects at a time; this was proving more challenging than she thought.

"Now, I want you to put down the R4 unit. Gently!" he shouted as he saw it drop much too fast. Luckily it didn't fall apart, but it made an awful crashing noise. Anakin grimaced and all of her objects dipped slightly as she tried to refocus on the Force.

"Nice save," her master quipped. He watched as she realigned the basket and rocks into a perfect line above the ground.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold these," she wheezed. Obi-Wan peered out the window at the last section of the sun still visible above the horizon, and decided he would finish up her exercises for the day.

"Ani, I want you to but the basket down near my feet." She sat it down with much more grace than the droid.

"Put one rock back where you found it, by the trees." It fell with a thud into the dirt. Obi-Wan remembered Windu's words about Anakin's alleged Dark Side abilities. He wanted to see what these abilities were without doing anything too conspicuously violent, and he stroked his beard while he thought of what to do. He breathed deeply as he gave his padawan one last command.

"Crush the rock."

"What?" she questioned, almost losing her focus thanks to the strange request.

"Crush the rock. Crush it, make it turn to dust." He studied her reaction closely. Her eyebrows furrowed into a serious expression and she brought her hand up in directly in front of her. There was a shift in the Force as she did this, Obi-Wan felt the calm energy in the Force become painfully tense and edged with fear. Anakin opened her palm, curled her fingers in sharply, and the rock began to crack apart with each tiny movement of her hand. Obi-Wan watched as a frown curved Anakin's lips down and narrowed her eyes. The rock quickly turned to rubble. When the last few pieces fell to the ground, he didn't know what to think. She had enough control and strength to carry out the order, which was good, but it was the fact that she drew her energy from anger and fear that worried him. That was a dangerous habit for any Jedi, especially a padawan. She seemed to access the anger rather quickly (a little too quickly for his liking), and it left as fast as it came. He was certain she had done this before, judging by how she didn't hesitate to gather energy from a dark place.  
_Where did she learn this? No master in their right mind would teach a padawan to use anger and fear as motivation, that's just asking for trouble,_ he wondered silently. By the time he snapped out of deep thought, the sun had disappeared completely. He'd seen way more than he wanted to.

"Anakin, I think that's enough for today. Come on, let's go home."

"Yes, Master." Strangely, she didn't seem affected at all by what just happened.

Obi-Wan didn't want her to sense his worry. Now was not the time to talk about what he'd just seen. His emotions were threatening to run wild, and he needed to meditate and clear his head before he did anything else. Giving in to nervousness was one of Obi-Wan's bad habits. Even though he knew that worry rarely ever solved anything, it was hard for him to release it to the Force no matter how trivial the problem was, although this was no trivial problem.

Luckily, Anakin was oblivious to her master's inner turmoil. She was a bit preoccupied with the fact that living with Obi-Wan was a vast improvement over living with Auriga. For once, she didn't dread going home. When the unhappy memories began to invade, Anakin blocked them immediately by looking at Obi-Wan as they walked side-by-side and by pulling on their Force bond, a powerful yet subtle method of unspoken communication. He felt it and pulled back, his stomach turned with worry.

***

Anakin was grateful that Obi-Wan stepped out of the apartment briefly. This meant she could sit in the bathtub and not worry about hogging the 'fresher for too long. As she stepped in the not quite scalding water, an involuntary moan escaped her lips. She settled in the water and ran her hands up and down her body in an effort to assess how much pain she would be in tomorrow. Her fingers trailed down her sides, she winced as she felt tender spots on her ribs. Sure enough, Obi-Wan's forceful tickling was undoubtedly going to leave finger-size bruises on her sides. But instead of an exasperated sigh, she mused to herself,  
_I guess I'm officially his apprentice now. He's marked me. _The thought made her laugh. Finally, she could relax. She sunk deeper in the water, and _Force_ , it felt good. The dimmed lights in the 'fresher added to the calm ambiance; she decided it would be ok to close her eyes for just a minute…__

__When she opened her eyes, she had no idea how long she had been soaking in the bathtub, but if her dreadfully wrinkled fingertips were any indication, it was probably far too long. After drying off and taking a moment to smell the scent of Alderaanian lavender on her skin, she reached for the nightclothes she'd grabbed without looking. She realized that instead of her sleeping pants, she accidentally picked up an ugly pair of shorts which Auriga hated, and enjoyed making her distaste known. _"What are those? You look awful, like a pleasure girl from Nar Shaada. Put something else on, NOW. I don't care if you're going to bed,"_ her old master's words echoed in her head. Anakin felt familiar shame wash over her, even though Auriga was long gone and had no power over Anakin's choice of pajamas.  
_I'm definitely getting rid of these,_ she silently declared as she looked at herself in the mirror. She wished with all her heart that Obi-Wan wasn't home, cursing their still too-weak bond because she wasn't fully able to sense his presence yet. If he wasn't home, she could scurry to her room and put on some more suitable pants before making some tea for her and her master to share. She didn't want him to think she was one of _those_ girls. She pushed open the door and began to sneak toward her room, when her master's voice startled her:_ _

__"Anakin! There you are, I thought you were home. Do you want some of this tea? I made enough for both of us."_ _

__She stood motionless, with a mildly terrified look in her eyes.  
_How long was I in the bathtub?_ she silently questioned. She was too shocked to speak. Obi-Wan's brow furrowed into a worried expression._ _

__"Are you ok, Ani?" It was suddenly impossible to form words, even though she wanted to explain why she was acting strange. She felt her face turn an embarrassing shade of red._ _

__"Oh- um, I'm fine. Of course I'd like some tea-" she stopped short, still glued to the same spot._ _

__"Well, then come over here and get some." Obi-Wan knew something was wrong, she was projecting her distress as clear as a homing beacon. So, he gently slipped into Anakin's mind using their burgeoning Force bond and tried to find the source her worry. She wasn't very good at shielding her emotions when she was upset, which allowed Obi-Wan to see exactly what was bothering her. He backed off when he felt anger bubble up in his chest. As Anakin sat down on the couch next to him, she tried to not spill the tea while attempting to cover her legs with her shirt._ _

__"Anakin," Obi-Wan breathed, trying to control his anger, "you don't look like a pleasure girl. Trust me, I've seen many of them on missions and you're nothing like- I can't believe- Auriga should never have said that to you. It's highly inappropriate of a Jedi Master to humiliate an apprentice like that." He stopped before his emotions got the best of him, but Anakin seemed to understand. Her expression softened and she stopped trying to pull her shirt over her legs._ _

__"Was I really projecting that much?" she asked with a light laugh._ _

__"I'm afraid so. That's something I'll have to teach you: how to guard your thoughts when you're distressed. But, I'll save that for tomorrow."_ _

__She smiled at him out of relief, and he gave her a gentle look in reply. The two finished their tea in pleasant silence. Soon, both of them began to feel sleepy, they had the same exhausted look on their faces. Anakin looked one more time into Obi-Wan's eyes. She wasn't sure what she was hoping to find, but their bond hummed as they gazed, until she quickly looked away. The awkwardness of getting reacquainted was still pretty evident. Anakin still wasn't sure what to talk about with her new master, and she found herself staying quiet most of the time. She had an irrational fear of saying the wrong thing and making him think she was incompetent or unfit to be a Jedi.  
_That's completely ridiculous,_ she told herself. But the thought lurked in the back of her mind. She knew she couldn't stay quiet forever or the awkwardness would never go away._ _

__She picked up the empty cups and stood up as gracefully as she could in the small space, then stepped into to the kitchen to clean up. Obi-Wan watched her in the mirror hanging on the wall in front of the couch. He was still in shock at what Auriga said to Anakin.  
_No wonder she never talked about her former master, it must have been terrible living with someone so judgmental and mean!_ he thought. Suddenly, Anakin was behind him. She propped her elbows up on be back of the couch, leaned down close to him, and softly spoke,_ _

__"I'm going to bed, I'm exhausted after- you know," she tried to send him images of herself running after him during their lightsaber practice. He received them and chuckled._ _

__"Get some rest, padawan. You'll need it, especially after you find out what I've got planned for you tomorrow." A mischievous smile danced across his face. She gave a defiant groan, leaning her head forward onto his shoulder, her long hair settling over him. Obi-Wan laughed._ _

__"Remember what I said about attitude," he teased. He sent a wave of comfort and acceptance over their bond that Anakin instantly felt. A small laugh threatened to escape her lips; she tilted her head down effort to suppress it and found herself almost nuzzling his neck. Obi-Wan relished the sensation, but it vanished too quickly when she realized what she was doing. She immediately snapped upright and walked back to her room._ _

__"Goodnight," she said happily._ _

__" 'Night, Ani," he replied, still reeling from her face so close to him._ _

__Now that was something familiar: as a child, Anakin was very physically expressive because she wasn't too good with words (not much had changed there). If she didn't know how to tell him something, she would _show_ him._ _

__Obi-Wan conceded there was nothing wrong with the fact that Anakin was a tactile person. She wasn't doing any harm or acting inappropriately, why should he worry? He just wasn't used to it: while living alone and dedicating his life to his missions, he went months without being purposefully (or kindly) touched. Before he let his worry get away from him, he assured himself he was simply going to have remember how to live with another person. That's all there was to it. In an effort to calm his thoughts, Obi-Wan decided to have one last peek into his padawan's mind before going to sleep, and he didn't sense any uncontrollable anger or otherwise inappropriate intentions. Yet, something about this new situation made him uneasy, as if the Force was trying to show him something he couldn't quite understand. The feeling wouldn't leave no matter how hard he tried to release his worry to the Force._ _


	5. Chapter 5

Everything was so hazy, like the room was filled with fog. Obi-Wan considered he might be dreaming but was interrupted by the sight of another person in his bed. He wasn't afraid. In fact, he knew exactly who it was. Anakin was fitfully sleeping next to him. He guessed she was probably dreaming of something unsettling because of how much she was moving around, so he slid one hand under her waist and pulled her close and wrapped the other around her, their bodies pressed against each other. She stopped her tossing and turning almost instantly. He noticed she smelled like Alderaanian lavender, and he buried his nose in her hair as if to drown himself in the scent. The Force hummed within him. He leaned up to brush a few stray strands of hair off her face, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek before laying back down. When was the last time he experienced serenity like this? Obi-Wan couldn't remember.

The vision faded into dim light and Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he was awake or still dreaming. His arms were wrapped around something and his breath hitched as he opened his eyes, unsure of what he was about to see. It was a pillow. Immediately, Obi-Wan was fully conscious and hyper-aware of everything. He shot up in his bed and felt his stomach sink as he remembered a little fact about Force bonds: even if their bond wasn't fully functional, it wasn't uncommon for a master and apprentice to have the same dream at the same time.

_What if Anakin saw that?_ he worried, his blood running cold at the realization. Even though it was very early in the morning and the sun had barely begun to rise, Obi-Wan was wide-awake. He spent the next half an hour or so worrying about what he would say to his padawan. Should he man up and just ask her if she saw the dream? Should he ignore it and pretend it never happened? Obviously it was just a silly dream, it didn't mean anything, so why was it so deeply unsettling? He realized he would worry himself sick if he didn't stop thinking about it, so he decided to sit at his desk and meditate until it was time for him to get up.

Obi-Wan ventured out into the kitchen, still shaken from his dream. He focused on making toast and tea and had done a good job of distracting himself. That is, until Anakin walked in.

"Good morning, Master," she said as cordially as she could. She wasn't a morning person at all and it showed in her disheveled, grouchy appearance. Obi-Wan's face drained of any little color it had. He stood there with his mouth slightly agape as he tried to form a response, but he was too mortified to speak. Anakin stepped closer to him, a concerned look in her eyes.

"Master, are you ok? You don't look well." She placed the back of her hand gently on her master's forehead to see if he had a fever, but he was actually rather cold and clammy. He shrank back from her touch and almost knocked over his tea when he flinched. She frowned.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" She tried to reach into his mind to see what was troubling him but was greeted by his shields. This made her frown even more. Her brow furrowed into a straight line.

"Now you're scaring me," she muttered. It was no use to pry if he was shielding her entirely, so Anakin quickly made herself some tea and began to retreat back to her room. Obi-Wan felt incredibly guilty.

_Why do I have to be like this? I can't stop worrying to save my life,_ he thought. He had to do something to show his apprentice that he didn't act this odd all the time.

"Ani," he called after her. She turned back to face him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. It's just- last night- I had, um, a dream that was rather disturbing. It was nothing bad, not a vision of the future or anything, just something that made me feel a little off…"

"Oh. Ok." Anakin didn't know how to respond. She couldn't remember dreaming anything last night, but she knew the feeling of having terrifying visions at night and resolved to give her master some space.

...

The two walked side by side to the council meeting, a formidable looking pair. Anakin's hand brushed against Obi-Wan's as they walked down a crowded corridor, and he withdrew as if he'd touched a hot stove. She was getting tired of this, not to mention increasingly worried.

Master, what's bothering you? Please tell me, I won't tell anyone. Did I do something wrong? she attempted to ask through their bond. Her voice sounded much clearer in his head than it did last night, which was good because that meant their bond was growing stronger. A smile tugged at his lips when he heard her.

Nothing is bothering me, Anakin. You haven't done anything wrong, he reassured.

She didn't believe him at all. The thought of why her master was shielding her bothered her until they reached the council room and took a seat. It was hard to concentrate on making small talk with the other masters when she could feel the waves of anxiety coming from Obi-Wan through the Force. As the meeting began, Obi-Wan sat in his chair and Anakin kneeled on the floor beside him. Although she managed to keep a neutral expression on her face, she was deeply concerned about her master. He slightly lowered his shields and felt his padawan's emotion flood their bond. A look of pain marred his face when he realized he was doing a terrible job controlling his emotions: he was supposed show her how to handle emotions, not how to let them run wild. He decided to let go his worry into the Force. If she saw his dream, then she saw it; there was nothing he could do about it. Panicking over trivial things surely wasn't a habit he wanted to instill in Anakin. He took a deep breath and allowed his emotions to disperse into the Force. Slowly but surely, they dissipated until he no longer felt them

_Much better,_ he thought. He took a another breath and looked down at the young woman kneeling close to him. She was still on edge given the amount of nervousness radiating their bond, so he decided to discretely comfort her.

_Anakin, I'm sorry for worrying you. I let my emotions get the best of me,_ he told her through their bond. Her eyes widened out of surprise at hearing his voice in her head.

_It's ok, Master,_ she replied, not moving from her place on the floor. Obi-Wan reached his hand out to the edge of the chair's armrest, closer to where Anakin was sitting, and pulled at her shoulder, motioning her to scoot back closer to him. She obliged and was met with a hand gently rubbing her back. Obi-Wan was thankful that the sleeves on his robe were so loose that no one could see him comforting his padawan. She leaned into Obi-Wan's touch, and he was delighted; it meant she wasn't upset. His hands grazed lightly through her hair, and found her padawan braid. He gently ran it through his fingers before reaching to run his hand through her hair one more time. She tried her hardest not to close her eyes and sigh, deciding to show Obi-Wan her gratitude through their bond.

He felt a lightness. It was happy and bright, and felt like bubbles in a fizzy drink. She turned around and smiled at him for a second before turning back and focusing on Master Windu, who was about to begin the meeting.

"Good morning everyone, I hope you all will find today's meeting especially informative on the upcoming missions to establish secure bases…"

_Blah, blah, blah,_ Anakin thought after 15 minutes of discussion on events that happened before she arrived at the temple and knew nothing about. She was careful to shield her mind so no one would know she was daydreaming about how much fun it would be to jump from chair to chair in the council room, or slide across the floor, or-

"Master Kenobi and Padawan Skywalker, the council has a mission for you." Anakin jolted back to reality at the sound of her name. She refocused on Windu as he continued.

"Since relations with the Trade Federation don't seem to be improving and Separatist violence has been on the rise lately, we're supervising the construction of a top-secret military base on Yavin IV. You two will be responsible for examining the base, handling any negotiations, and providing any help the generals need. They're looking to you for guidance and strategy. I cannot stress this enough: this is top secret. If Separatists find out we're supporting a secret base, all hell will break loose. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," the two said in unison.

"Good. Report back to the council with any developments that arise while you're there. Until then, we look forward to seeing you when you return. You will leave the temple this evening and stay on the base for 3 nights. May the Force be with you," he concluded.

"Have anything else to add, anyone? Hmm?" Yoda asked. "Dismissed, this meeting is," he said, giving the ground a good smack with his gimmer stick.

Anakin turned around so she was sitting cross-legged in front of her master. An ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.

"We're going on a mission!" she said excitedly.

"It appears so, padawan. We should start packing soon. During this time of year, it's especially cold on Yavin IV. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yes, Master." She hopped up to her feet and all but dragged Obi-Wan out of the council room. Finally, she was going on a mission! Even though she probably wouldn't see the action she hoped for, it was a start. Missions with Auriga were tense and wrought with animosity: it was rare that Auriga was pleased with anything Anakin did, and the apprentice was constantly trying to avoid her master's bitter scrutiny. But she wasn't worried about that anymore; she actually enjoyed spending time with Obi-Wan and knew he wouldn't look for reasons to berate her. Anakin had a feeling the worst mission with Obi-Wan would be better than her best mission with Auriga.

...

Once they arrived back at the apartment, Anakin wasted no time in hastily throwing her warmest clothes and necessities in her travel bag. Obi-Wan laughed at how eager she was to go freeze on Yavin IV during the middle of their winter season, but at least she was willing to go. Granted, this wasn't the most exciting mission he'd ever received, it was actually considerably less involved than the missions he was used to. He hoped the Council wasn't going easy on him because of Anakin.

"Master?" Anakin called from her room. Obi-Wan appeared in her doorway.

"Yes, dear padawan?"

"May I use the holocomm to call someone before we leave?" she asked shyly.

"That depends on who someone is," he smiled

"Just a friend, my best friend actually. I haven't talked to her in a while."

"And what exactly is this best friend's name?" Anakin bristled.

"Padme." He gave her a dissatisfied look at her secrecy.

"Padme Amidala," she said quietly.

"Senator Amidala? Queen of Naboo? You can't be serious."

"Master, I am! You were there when I first met her, when I was really young. A few years ago I was assigned with Auriga to protect her from an assassin. Padme and I spent a lot of time together and we just, I don't know, clicked. Even after the assignment was over we still talked and did things together. She's very nice, you know." Obi-Wan didn't know what to think.

"Alright. You can use the holocomm. Just don't make us late."

"Thank you, Master!" she beamed. He gave a sideways smile and headed back to his room. Anakin punched in the comm code her friend gave her, and soon Padme's form appeared as a small, blue hologram.

"Ani! How are you? I haven't seen you in forever!" she exclaimed. The sound of her nickname coming from someone other than Obi-Wan sounded foreign to Anakin, but she didn't mind since Padme was such a close friend.

"I'm great! Life in the Jedi temple is so much better than Ruusan, in every possible way. How are you?"

"Oh you know, the same old dealings with the same old people. We had to remove a few Mandalorian representatives last week, and you'll never guess why." Her words were dripping with sarcasm.

"Why?"

"They got caught in a compromising position with a couple of a Hutt's twi'leks- at a press conference! Can you believe that? Who would be so stupid-" Anakin thought this was hilarious and started laughing too hard to speak. Once she finally calmed down, Padme began again, this time in a quieter tone.  
"How is your new master? Is he as vile as Auriga?"

"No! No, of course not. Obi-Wan Kenobi took me back, and he is wonderful. It's only been 4 days and we're already almost completely bonded. He drinks tea with me in the evening, he doesn't shame me in front of people. In fact, he doesn't shame me at all… Oh, but he worries a lot. The man worries more than anyone I've ever met and it can be a real pain. He's rather quiet. And really tough. Yesterday, I got a little cocky when we were dueling and he kicked my ass. I still feel it-" Padme gave a snorting laugh.

"Are you serious? It hasn't even been a week and you're already getting in trouble? Only you, Ani."

"It's not like that! Come on now," she started laughing too. Obi-Wan could hear the cackling in his room. It surprised him that Anakin was acting like a typical girl. Usually she was quiet, if not awkwardly shy, in front of others and she never acted like a stereotypical girl. But here she was, chattering and laughing to her friend. He smiled as he shook his head at the rare occurrence. Even though they were trying to be quiet, he knew they were talking about him.  
"And- hey, are you even listening?" Anakin scoffed.

"Yes, I'm listening! I just need a second-" she stifled a laugh, "Ok, go on." Anakin looked around the room, making sure her master wasn't in earshot.

"He's so kind. So kind. He listens to me, and asks my opinion, even though he's hard on me," her voice got even softer, "Sometimes he hugs me, too"

"No, you're kidding."

"It's true!"

"Do you, you know…" she raised her eyebrows in an accusing fashion.

"What? No! Kriff, no, he's my master. I don't think of him like that at all, that's not even allowed." Padme rolled her eyes and gave another glance.  
"I will hang up on you right now if you don't-" Anakin whined

"Ok, ok, I'll stop!"

By that time, Obi-Wan poked his head out of his room, softly called to Anakin, and gestured up at the chrono over the front door.

"Padme, I've got to go. I'm going on a mission," she leaned in and whispered, "It's a secret."

"Be careful. I mean it. You never know what could happen, especially after…"

"I know. But that's not going to happen, partly because there's probably not going to be any decent action this time. And everything is different now, I think this is going to go really well."

"I hope so. I'll talk to you when you get back?"

"Of course!" The girls said their goodbyes and Anakin turned off the holocomm. She darted into her room, collected her bag, and looked eagerly at her Master. He smiled at her, amused by her unabashed enthusiasm.

...

Anakin was more than excited to fly a ship again. Piloting was one of her gifts: the girl could fly almost anything, in any condition. This was a point of contention between her and Auriga because her former master wasn't interested in flying at all. She saw it as necessary in order to get from one place to another, but never took any concern in anything beyond basic piloting skills. Anakin had to teach herself a lot of what she knew about flying and enlist other masters and pilots to help her with what she couldn't learn on her own. Naturally, Auriga wasn't amused, but there wasn't much she could do about it since it was part of Anakin's training to learn astromechanics and basic piloting.

Obi-Wan, however, was a good pilot. He preferred flying his own ship to a mission than taking a crowded and unreliable transport. There was something about flying his own ship that gave him a sense of freedom and control, he enjoyed it very much and looked forward to working with someone as passionate about flying as Anakin. The pair loaded their gear and droids into their speeders and set of for Yavin IV. Both of them, unbeknownst to each other, were smiling brightly as they flew off together.

"Anakin, do you copy?" her master's voice rattled into her headset.

"I copy, Master."

"Do you have your coordinates set properly? I think we should make the jump to lightspeed once we get far enough away from these stations out here." Anakin looked out her windows at the space stations scattered in Coruscant's atmosphere.

"Yes, Master. Standing by for lightspeed." This was going to be fun. Their bond filled with light spirit.

"Punch it!" Obi-Wan said as soon as they were far enough away from Coruscant, and Anakin jumped into lightspeed immediately after Obi-Wan. Even though they were close enough to communicate, there was a significant bit of distance between them, which gave her an idea…

"R2, you still got that track I uploaded?" The droid beeped affirmatively.

"Turn it on, and see if you can give it more bass." Suddenly the cockpit was vibrating to an intense rap song. It wasn't distracting; in fact, it put her in the mood to be on alert for anything suspicious.

_I've got a good feeling about this,_ she thought as she felt the music rattle her chest. They would be on Yavin IV in no time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ok, that got a little silly toward the end, I'll admit. Major stuff is coming soon, hopefully with less delay between chapters


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey everyone! First off, sorry for the wait. This long of a delay between chapters won't be a common occurrence. I may or may not have gone little nuts with the references to various bits of Star Wars media/classic rock songs... But anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
... 

Obi-Wan hopped out of his ship first, flinging his bag to the ground.

_Kriff, why is it so cold?_ he thought as the freezing air greeted his body. Anakin followed suit and stood before her master while they waited for the military crew to bring them to the main grounds. While they were waiting, Obi-Wan decided to have a little fun.

"Say, Anakin, was that bass coming from your speeder?" he mocked.

"Yes, Master, it was. But I had R2 hold back, you should hear it at full blast," she fired back.

"Oh really? You shouldn't lie to your master, Anakin."

"I'm not lying! I doubt yours is any better, though."

"We'll see about that soon enough- Look, here comes our general." Sure enough, someone- or something- was walking up to the Jedi pair.

"Obi-Wan, it's been a while hasn't it?" a scary looking creature said as he playfully punched Obi-Wan in the shoulder and gave him a hearty pat on the back. Anakin had never seen anything like this reptilian-humanoid before- was he a Trandoshan? She realized he was, and tried not to stare.

"Nice to see you again, General Kuhl. How have things been around here?" Obi-Wan replied with a chuckle.

"Since you're here, obviously not too good!" the monster gave a laugh, "no one can seem to agree on anything, but we've been holding our own- hey, you've got a stowaway following you." He grinned an ugly grin and looked at Anakin. She didn't know whether to feel happy to meet this fellow or scared of this odd appearance and mannerisms.

"Ah, yes. General Kuhl, this is my padawan, Anakin Skywalker. She's completing her training with me, she's only a few years away from knighthood."

"Pleasure to meet you, General Kuhl," Anakin extended her hand out and the reptilian man shook it with one of his scaly, 3-fingered hands.

_Master, he's a Trandoshan! Aren't they typically bounty hunters?_ Anakin nervously asked through their bond.

_No, he's not a bounty hunter. I know Kuhl, and he's on our side. For the right price, some Trandoshans can work for just about anyone. He happens to be a good strategist and leader,_ he silently replied.

_Are you sure we can trust him? I'm not about to walk into a trap!_ Her eyes went wide at the thought.

_Anakin, calm down. The Republic doesn't contract criminals to build secret bases._ She nodded, and continued on silently until they reached the camp.

"Look at you, Jedi Master finally gets a padawan of his own… wait a minute. She goes with you everywhere, right?" Kuhl asked.

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Obi-Wan tried to hide his confusion.

"Not for me it isn't. But, I didn't know you were bringing another person," he leaned in closer and whispered, "especially a girl." The Trandoshan stood back upright and inhaled as he reached for the door to their room on the base.

"Unfortunately, I found out you were bringing a padawan this morning… All our other quarters are occupied or under construction. We don't see a lot of action around here so our lodging is, well, limited. If this isn't gonna fly, I can try to work something else out but I can't make any guarantees." Obi-Wan tried to conceal his worry as Kuhl opened the door. What could possibly be so bad that it warranted such a warning? Surely it was better than sleeping outside.

"I'm sure it will be fine. I've stayed in some rather awful conditions and I'm sure Anakin has too. There's no way this could be-" he looked in the room and stopped short. The place was a little bigger than Obi-Wan's bedroom in his apartment, and had one tiny fresher with the door falling off it's hinges, a corner closet, and one small bed that was missing a chunk out of the mattress. No privacy, no nothing. Even the heater seemed to be under-functioning (or broken) given how cold it was in there. Anakin sensed her master's panic and assured Kuhl they wouldn't complain.

"General, this is a military base, not a hotel. Besides, my master is right: we've stayed in some awful places. We will be fine."

The two dropped their bags in the dilapidated quarters, resolving to deal with the less-than-ideal living arrangement at a later time. A group of clones and several republic generals gathered in a half-constructed conference room to discuss some strategies and possible weaknesses of the base.

...

"I think the east wing of the base is sufficiently guarded, there's no need for more lookouts" said one clone.

"Not if you're anticipating an air attack, but what if they sneak in through the forest? We'd be dead before a fight could even start!" another voice shouted.

"Bantha shit! You just want more men ready to deploy into the fray! If we prevent a fight from erupting in the first place-"

"That's a lie!" someone yelled from across the room. Anakin watched in shock as the room full of mature, respectable generals and clones dissolved into fighting. She gave Obi-Wan a look, and he leaned over and whispered to her,

"Welcome to negotiations," his words dripping with sarcasm. Obi-Wan quieted the room down and tried to get the men to think rationally about how to construct the remaining portions of the base and how many soldiers should be stationed in each area. During a brief break in the planning, Obi-Wan noticed his apprentice hadn't said a word during the meeting.

"Is something wrong, Anakin?"

"No, Master." He looked at her suspiciously.

"Why do you ask?" she said, noticing his scrutiny.

"Well, you haven't said a word the entire time we've been in the meeting. It's uncharacteristic of you to be so quiet." She looked at him with an expression somewhere between horror and surprise, which confused him further.

"What's that face for?" he asked.

"Nothing! Sorry, Master, I just…" words failed to form, "I didn't think you wanted my input. I'm an apprentice and-" she stopped when she saw him heave a sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose.

Obi-Wan was disheartened and slightly irritated at what she just told him. He figured it must have been another one of her former master's rules. He ran an hand through his hair and began,

"Why in the galaxy would you think you're not allowed to speak on your own mission?" Now he was getting annoyed. He hadn't anticipated taking an apprentice would get on his nerves so much.

"It was a rule… Nevermind," she vehemently shook her head, "I guess it's a bad habit. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just don't sit here like a block of wood. You're not stupid, Anakin, I know you have a lot to contribute. As long as you're respectful of the others and don't get too… heated." Obi-Wan had learned in the time he'd spent with his apprentice, she had a short fuse, especially when it came to verbal communication. Anakin's ego could wreak havoc on a discussion if she allowed it.

"Yes, Master." Anakin didn't quite know how to react. Obi-Wan actually wanted her opinion? She didn't want to mention that every time she spoke up in a negotiation with Auriga, it was a one-way ticket to a scolding. Yet, Anakin realized her master was right: she would never learn to negotiate effectively without participating in an actual negotiation. With a deep breath and the vote of confidence from Obi-Wan, she decided she would speak during the second half of the meeting.

Night was falling fast. After a day of strategizing and planning with little to show for their effort, Obi-Wan and Anakin made their way back to their little dilapidated room.

"I'm guessing you want the bed?"

"It doesn't matter to me if-"

"No! Age before beauty," she teased, unaware that he felt her snarky comment a little too deeply. He wasn't going to fight her if she wanted to let him have the bed; there was only enough room for one person anyway.

"I'm very impressed with your strategizing skills, Anakin. I don't know if I would have gotten through that meeting without pulling my hair out if it wasn't for you," Obi-Wan said, a hint of teasing lilting his voice.

"I don't believe that for a second. You're one of the best negotiators in the galaxy, I'm sure you would have made it out of there just fine without me," she replied with a smug smile, obviously proud of her work that day. When she was right, she was right. Obi-Wan gave a laugh.

"I believe the correct response is _thank you_ , my apprentice."

"You're welcome, Master." He laughed at her egotistical sarcasm and heaved an exasperated sigh. Even though she got on his nerves, she never ceased to amuse him. Seeing her laugh made him smile, despite the joke being at his expense.

As Obi-Wan put on his nightclothes, Anakin laid out several blankets on the floor. She felt the boards creak under her and felt the cold emanating from the ground.

_It's only three nights. You can put up with this for three nights,_ she thought as she curled up in an effort to conserve heat.

"Goodnight Anakin," Obi-Wan said as he nudged her with his foot and fell into the sad, lumpy mattress. He had a feeling that thing would keep him up all night.

"Goodnight Master," Anakin's voice was muffled as she'd pulled the covers up to her nose. Obi-Wan felt a twinge of guild as he watched her squirm and shiver on the ground, trying to get comfortable. It was he last thing he thought about before drifting off to sleep.

It was the middle of the night, and Anakin was wide-awake. The temperature had dropped significantly; she was absolutely freezing. She decided she'd have to get up and put on her overcoat if she wanted to avoid freezing to death.

_Where are the coats? I can't see a damn thing,_ she thought as she rolled over to stand up. The boards squeaked loudly in protest. She cringed, hoping she hadn't woken her master. She tiptoed over to the corner where they'd dropped all their belongings, every step making a noise.

_Please don't wake up, please don't wake up_ , she silently pleaded as she fumbled with the pile of fabric, trying to find her coat. She knocked over something and it landed with a _thud_ and loudly rolled away on the floor. Uttering some Huttese swears under her breath, she finally found her coat. Just as she was about to slide her arms into her coat, a voice startled her.

"Anakin? What are you doing?" Obi-Wan sleepily asked. 

"Oh! I just wanted my coat, I'm cold. Sorry I woke you. Please go back to sleep, I'm terribly sorry, Master." Shame washed over her as she struggled to put on her coat. Obi-Wan sat up and looked at her. It was dark, but he could still see the outline of her form shaking violently from the cold. 

_There's no way she'll be able to function on this mission if she gets hypothermia_ , he thought. Finally, he broke his resolve and ignored any potential backlash that could come with his next decision. 

"Anakin, take that thing off. Come over here and lie down," he said gently. 

"No, no, I'll be ok. Once I put my coat on I'll-" 

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Come here." 

"It's really not-" 

"You seem to forget that I am your master and you are my padawan. You will do as I say." He thought he had been too harsh when he noticed the pained look on Anakin's face as she slid of her coat and sheepishly walked toward him. He slid over until he was on the edge of the bed in an effort to make room for her. She sat down on the bed, swung her legs around, and lay down in the warm sheets. 

_Warmth! Thank the Force,_ she thought as she buried herself in the blankets. Obi-Wan felt her relief through the Force. He watched her curl her knees up and close her eyes. 

"Thank you," she whispered. He rubbed her shoulder in response. 

A minute or two went by when Obi-Wan noticed Anakin's shivering was moving the whole bed. He reached his hand out to her arm 

"Anakin, what's the matter?" he asked, but when his hand brushed against her forearm, he felt her skin. It was ice cold. 

_No wonder she was shivering!_ he mused. 

"I'm sorry, I'll try to stop-" she was cut off by Obi-Wan's arm wrapping around her and pulling her close in an effort to warm her up. In his younger years, Obi-Wan had spent some time on Hoth and knew the dangers of getting too cold for too long. It wasn't uncommon for soldiers to sleep huddled up in an effort to stay warm. In fact, Qui-Gon had once done the same with Obi-Wan on a mission to some Force-forsaken ice planet. It was so cold that neither of them cared how awkward it was. 

The heat from Obi-Wan's body lit up Anakin as if she had never felt warmth before. She tried not to gasp at the sensation, and instinctively inched closer to absorb more heat. When she finally stopped shaking, she was laying on Obi-Wan's chest with his arms wrapped around her, their legs in a tangle, both of them buried under several blankets. She was warm at last. The Force hummed with contentment, and Obi-Wan felt it; he held her close and hoped he wouldn't have to let her go. It dawned on him that this was just like the dream he had the night before. 

_Maybe it was a vision of the future after all,_ he thought. He strongly considered sitting up and kissing her on the cheek in an effort to complete what he'd seen in his dream, but decided against it. Softly, he nuzzled into her neck as he drifted off. 

But, Anakin wasn't asleep. Instead, she was enjoying the sensation of warmth dancing on her skin. >

_He's… holding me?_ she questioned when she realized he hadn't let go of her after she stopped shivering. Her heart began to beat faster when she felt him snuggling into her neck. If she died right then, she decided it would be a heavenly way to die. Tears almost pricked in her eyes. This confused her even more. 

_I've never been so content, why do I feel like crying?_ Something bloomed within her, like a flower opening up to the light. It radiated through the Force and dissipated into the cold night air. She focused on it and it guided her into a deep, trance-like sleep. 

It was barely dawn. They didn't have to be up for a while longer, but Obi-Wan was awake and Anakin was still nestled against him. He became aware of her body pressed against his, their legs entwined. Somehow, even their fingers were laced together. The sight of her filled him with vaguely familiar warmth, as if he were remembering a dream. In a way, he was, but this was beyond any dream he could have had. The Force shimmered and sparked, a mesmerizing sensation that almost hypnotized him- until the shrill beeping if his commlink startled him. Quickly, he slid out of bed as fast as he could and ran to stop the beeping. He answered the commlink outside. 

"Kenobi here," he said, watching his breath turn to fog in the frigid morning air. 

"General Kenobi, this is Captain Rex speaking. My mission to the outer rim ended early, and I'll be on the base by this afternoon. The council said you could use some help." The clone's voice crackled over the speaker, and Obi-Wan was glad to have another person on his side. With Rex's help, they might actually finish their strategizing on time. 

"That's great, Rex. I'll be looking forward to seeing you. Anakin and I need all the help we can get." A weak chuckle escaped him, followed by a shiver. In his rush to answer the comm, he forgot to put on his overcoat and wandered out into the cold in only his nightclothes. 

"Alright. Rex out." The commlink turned off with a click, and Obi-Wan ran back inside, silently cursing his forgetfulness. He looked over to the bed where Anakin was sleeping under several layers of blankets. Miraculously, he hadn't awoken her in his rush to answer the comm. A pang of some unidentifiable, poignant emotion stung his chest as he looked at her, but a soft smile turned his lips upward. He quietly approached his side of the bed and slid in. The warmth of the blankets, and the girl lying next to him, almost made him sigh in relief. Guilt threatened to wash over him as he settled in. He pulled the blankets up to his neck, and felt an arm brush against his. His thoughts began to run wild. 

_We're only here for two more nights. I'll only be able to hold her close two more times. It's unbelievably wrong- oh, kriff it._ And with that, he scooped Anakin into his arms and held her tight, and shut his eyes until the sun came up. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again with taking too long to update... Sorry about that. But, this chapter is a little longer than the previous ones, so hopefully that will make up for the delay. Maybe? Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review if you have any comments/criticism/ etc. Reviews make me smile! Enjoy the chapter :)

It was noon on Yavin IV. All morning, Obi-Wan and Anakin had been discussing possible strategies and coming up with final plans for how the base should be protected. Captain Rex was a huge help since the other clones held a high level of respect for him. Still, that didn't stop Anakin from badgering and intimidating anyone who opposed her in order to get her way, which greatly embarrassed Obi-Wan. During a break for lunch, he pulled her aside and began to scold her.

"What in the galaxy was that?" he asked harshly. Anakin's eyes widened in mock surprise at his tone.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Master," she dismissed him. This only made his face flush slightly red in anger. He took a breath and tried to let his anger go into the Force, knowing he couldn't fight fire with fire when it came to Anakin.

"I'm sure you know exactly what I mean, my very young padawan learner. Bullying those soldiers and generals, that condescending, arrogant attitude, what are you thinking? I'm beginning to regret telling you to be more active in the meetings."

Her eyes narrowed. Now she was mad.

"But we accomplished what we came here to do, in half the time. No one objected-"

"Because you were intimidating them! That's not the Jedi way. I can't believe I'm telling you this, you know what you're doing is wrong!" Obi-Wan took another deep breath, trying to calm himself. He was determined to not allow himself to let his emotions get away from him, but that was easier said than done since Anakin was making no effort to center herself with the Force. She lowered her voice to just above a whisper and snapped,

"I did what I had to do because no one else would. We would still be sitting in there arguing if it wasn't for me."

That did it. Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin by her forearm and began to lead her out of the conference room and into the cold outside. All the while, she was protesting and thrashing about, trying to snap away from his grip.

_He's stronger than he looks_ , she thought.

"Quit it! Let me go! This is ridiculous! Stop it-" Suddenly she found herself facing Obi-Wan, his hands gripping her elbows, his gray eyes blazing into her blue ones and for the first time, she regretted crossing him. She fully expected the worst and flinched away out of instinct. Instead, Obi-Wan leaned close to her and whispered,

"That's _enough_. Behave yourself, padawan." Anakin shivered.

"Yes, Master. I'm sorry, Master," she said quietly, bowing her head slightly. Obi-Wan was curious as to why she reacted like she was about to be struck when he turned to speak to her. He almost didn't want to know how Anakin got that habit.

Anakin followed her master without a word to the end of the base.

"I'm sorry-" she began, still looking at the ground.

"I don't want to hear it. What you did in there was completely unacceptable. Give me one reason why I shouldn't send you back to Coruscant right now," he said, his voice firm and grim. Anakin was silent for a moment.

"I- I shouldn't have said anything in the first place…" Obi-Wan wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, but he resolved to keep his calm.

"No! That's not the point! You need to learn how to negotiate and strategize properly and respectfully, not act like a tyrant!" The look in Anakin's eyes told him she wasn't going to back down. Obi-Wan knew he had to be firm and stand his ground, he couldn't let Anakin's strong will get out of control.

"Anakin, my young apprentice, you still have much to learn. Control your temper."

Anakin gave in and nodded. She'd finally calmed down a little and her Force signature was no longer steeped in rage. Her advanced abilities made her a force to be reckoned with, but it gave her ego an unhealthy boost. Something told her she should be ashamed of her outbursts in the meeting, that she should apologize and take back what she said, but she didn't feel a bit of remorse. The only thing that bothered here was the fact that she disappointed her master.

"I'm deeply sorry, Master. I'll try to do better," she said.

"You know what Master Yoda says. Do or do not, there is no try," he teased. She smiled weakly. Hopefully she would evade punishment.

"I will apologize to the committee," she offered with a wide-eyed gaze.

"That's a good start, and you'll also stay on guard duty with the clones during the next meaning," Obi-Wan ordered. Out of habit, she almost began to argue, but she decided against it.

"Yes, Master."

Obi-Wan nodded and took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. Years ago, he'd unconsciously picked up the habit from his master, Qui Gon. Whenever he caught himself doing it, he felt a mix of amusement and grief. It was Qui-Gon who found Anakin and wanted Obi-Wan to train her. It was Qui-Gon who seemed to know the right thing to do in any imaginable situation, and Obi-Wan frequently worried that he wasn't the Jedi his master was. What would Qui-Gon have done in a situation like this? Obi-Wan sighed and began walking back toward the base with his apprentice

Anakin felt unfamiliar guilt gnaw at her stomach for making her master upset. She couldn't decide whether she wanted to run and hide or drop to her knees and beg forgiveness. Instead, she looked at Obi-Wan and spoke to him through their bond.

_I'm sorry. I really am._

_Your actions affect more than just yourself, padawan. That ego of yours will land you in serious trouble one day._

Her heart sank at his words because deep down, she knew he was right. They entered the base and waited on the lift to take them a few floors down into the underground bunkers. While inside the lift, Anakin began to tense up. Reason told her that Obi-Wan wouldn't cruelly punish her for stepping out of line one time, but habit told her to expect the worst. She had to do something. Gently, she stepped closer to Obi-Wan and laid her head on his shoulder.

Obi-Wan was lost in thought: what to do about Anakin's behavior, what to do about fortifying the base, how to deal with the generals who couldn't seem to agree on anything, until a soft pressure on his shoulder snapped him back to reality.

_Anakin,_ he thought. He eyed downward and sure enough there she was, giving him a sympathetic look. Obi-Wan chuckled, reaching for her padawan braid and giving it a good yank, earning a surprised gasp from his apprentice. Before he knew it, they arrived at the proper floor. Anakin went with the clone guards without protest and Obi-Wan trudged along to meet the generals and begin another tedious task.

Deep down, Anakin didn't know why she was so upset about missing another meeting; she got along quite well with the clones. A group of four greeted her.

"Anakin Skywalker?" one of them asked.

"That's me," she replied casually.

"Why aren't you in the meeting?"

"I guess I mouthed off a little too much for my master's liking, so now I'm here." She smiled mischievously, and the clones grinned too.

"Well, we try to keep things lively around here, even if nothing ever happens on guard duty. I'm Barcra, and this is Lackluster, Appo, and Bigs. We'll head out for our rounds in a minute."

"Yes, sir," Anakin replied, trying not to sound too informal while the generals were still around. Once they left, Anakin turned to the group of clones and gazed expectantly.

"Let's get to it!" Bigs rallied the crew. The five were off, exploring the lower levels of the base. Anakin spied a few crates that reminded her of her favorite obstacle in the temple training room…

"Hey guys, check this out!" she called as she ran over to the crates and hopped on top of one. The crates seemed reasonably spread out, so she tried a few basic tricks: a cartwheel from one crate to the next, a tuck jump, an aerial-handspring combination executed with a little help from the Force. She completed her acrobatic performance and hopped down, giving a slight bow at the applause.  
"Well done, sir. That looks like fun," Lackluster said. Anakin gave a cheeky grin.

"It is fun!" she said, "and please, call me Anakin. You guys should try some light gymnastics, you would probably be really good at it." There she went again, riling up the troops and instigating trouble.

"Of course, Anakin. But I don't think we're trained- Hey!" shouted Barcra as Appo jumped atop a crate and began leaping over every other box. He finished his run with a somersault.

"It's not hard at all, sir," Appo smiled. Anakin high-fived the clone. Barcra sighed.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" he cried, running toward the crates. Soon enough, the crew was not patrolling the area so much as they were searching for places to do parkour. Luckily, there were no security cameras installed underground yet, which was why the clones were patrolling in the first place. By the end of the first round, the clones were out of breath, and Anakin was grinning ear-to-ear. This was the first time she'd ever enjoyed a punishment.

"Guys, in my almost twenty years of life, I've never had that much fun on patrol," she mused. They all laughed as if she'd told a hilarious joke.

"What?" she asked, clearly confused. Lackluster stepped closer to her to explain.

"Oh, it's really nothing. As clones, we're given growth accelerators from the time before we're born until we're fully mature. Bigs, Appo, Barcra, and I are only ten years old." The men laughed again, this time at Anakin's wide-eyed expression.

"Ten years old?" she asked incredulously.

"Indeed!" Lackluster nodded.

"I knew they gave you growth accelerators, but I had no idea they were that, well, accelerating! You all are a bunch of children!" she mocked.

"Who was it that encouraged flipping off boxes and jumping around like kids?" snickered Bigs.

"Oh, zip it," Anakin rolled her eyes at the truth. "So, are we gonna go again, or should we switch it up this time?" Barcra looked at his wrist holochron.

"Our shift is close to being over, but I think we have time for another go."

"Perfect!" cheered Anakin. The five took off again, ready to display more moves. None of them knew Obi-Wan and Rex were fast approaching from down the hall.

"Rex, I'm so glad you came. You have no idea how much you've helped us accomplish," Obi-Wan said as he walked out of the meeting room after a solid hour of strategizing. He and Rex were great friends, and the clone was one of the few non-Jedi men he could count on.

"Thank you, general. I'm just doing my job," Rex replied happily. Obi-Wan yawned.

"How long have we been in there?" Obi-Wan asked. Rex consulted his holochron.

"Long enough for night to fall. Kriff, it's going to get cold." The men heaved a sigh as they approached the area where Anakin and the clones would return from their rounds.

The crew was about to come barreling around the corner, when suddenly, Anakin halted them. The clones bumped into each other and grumbled.

"What is it, sir?" asked Barcra.

"I told you to call me Anakin, and I think Master Obi-Wan and Rex are waiting for us. I can sense their presence through the Force. We've gotta fly casual," Anakin said as she straightened her tunic and pushed back some stray hairs that escaped her braid during the acrobatics. The clones took a moment to catch their breath and correct their posture.

"Well, I'd say we look halfway respectable," joked Lackluster, earning a snicker from everyone except Barcra, who shushed him.

"Alright boys, let's go," Anakin charged. They marched around the corner, Anakin leading the pack. Obi-Wan smiled when he saw her. Yet, there was something in the Force that told him she was up to her usual tricks.

"Good evening, Master, Captain Rex," Anakin greeted kindly.

"Good evening, padawan," Obi-Wan replied. "How was guard duty? Find anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, Master. Everything seems to be in order." The earnest smile she was giving him could have fooled anyone that she had done what she was told, but Obi-Wan knew better. He was about to reprimand her for it until he remembered something Qui-Gon told him years ago: pick your battles if there's no harm done. Obviously, no harm was done. Anakin completed her punishment with no complaint. He decided to not press the issue for his sake.

"Very well. Come, young one, it's getting late," Obi-Wan said as he motioned for his padawan to come closer. She hurried to his side with a "yes, master" and began to follow him to the lift. Obi-Wan pretended to not notice when she gave a wink and nod to the clone guards behind her.

...

Back in their room, Anakin prepared a rather tasteless ration dinner for her and her master.

"Instant bread is not, and will never be, real bread," she snarked as she watched a lump of bread rise up from the greenish-looking powder she sprinkled in some water. Obi-Wan gave her a look. She tore the bread in half and pretended it was causing her great strain, and he tried his best to ignore her childish antics.

"At least we have bread," he said, biting off a piece and trying not to wince at the stale, mealy flavor. Anakin suppressed a laugh. Finally, her master put away his no-nonsense Jedi façade in favor of his real personality.

"This stuff is pretty bad, isn't it?" he laughed. For the first time that day, the two saw each other actually smile, and their happiness radiated through the Force. They choked down their halves of gross instant bread with minimal disgust and a bit of good humor. After Anakin cleaned up their supplies, she noticed it was very late, thanks to the holochron on the wall. A pang of worry hit her.

_Where am I going to sleep?_ she wondered. Ideally, she would huddle close to Obi-Wan and fall asleep in his embrace, but she knew the chances of that were low. She could almost hear him objecting to the idea. A voice pulled interrupted her worry.

"Anakin, I want you to sleep in the bed tonight. I can deal with sleeping on the floor," Obi-Wan said intently. Anakin frowned.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Master…" she trailed off. His eyes grew wide.

"And why is that?"

"It's cold on the floor. Really cold. Even if you were to wear a coat, there's still a chance you'd freeze all night. Or worse, get deathly ill." Obi-Wan's heart picked up at her suggestion. She actually wanted to share the bed again? He couldn't believe it. Nervousness and shyness turned his cheeks slightly pink. Even though he knew he shouldn't indulge Anakin, he heaved a sigh and began,

"I believe you're right, padawan." It would have been fine to leave it at that, but Anakin had to open her mouth and make things even more awkward.

"It doesn't bother you, does it? Sleeping together? No, not _sleeping together,_ that's not right-" she stuttered.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan made her look at him and stop talking. "It doesn't bother me. Situations like these sometimes call for unorthodox solutions. Does it bother you?"

"No," Anakin tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. She was trying her best not to let it be obvious how excited she was to be close to him again. Luckily for her, he remained oblivious. Obi-Wan's expression softened and he patted her shoulders.

"I guess it's time for bed, then," he said.

After attempting- and failing- to warm up with a lukewarm shower, Anakin was still freezing, and she couldn't wait to huddle next to Obi-Wan. She tried to still her heart before sliding in bed next to her master. Secretly, he was doing the same thing when he felt her form against his.

_Force, he smells good,_ she thought, inhaling the scent of his shampoo. Obi-Wan thought similarly when he caught the scent of Alderaanian lavender on Anakin's skin. Both of them were awkwardly positioned; they were close, but not too close. Touching, but not too much. Neither of them was very comfortable. Finally, Anakin broke the silence.

"This is very uncomfortable, Master," she said. He made to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"If you're uncomfortable, I can sleep on the floor. I-"

"No, I meant we were laying in an uncomfortable position. I just wanted you to scoot back so we had more room."

"Oh." Obi-Wan looked hesitantly as Anakin gestured for him to return. Something caused him to lighten up suddenly. Before he knew it, he hopped in bed, slid his arms around Anakin's waist, and drew her back to his chest with a squeeze. She snickered when he hit a ticklish spot on her ribs. It made him happy and deeply uncomfortable knowing she enjoyed this so much. Once she settled in, Obi-Wan realized Anakin's hair was caught in his beard and around his mouth. He took his hand and smoothed her light hair down. What should have been one stroke became two, then three when he realized the calming effect it had on Anakin.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much better." Her voice was heavy with sleep and oddly blissed-out. The Force was singing with her bright energy, which Obi-Wan found to be contagious. He smiled as he stroked her hair once more and faded into sleep, Force energy swirling pleasantly around them in a way it never did before.

Morning came all too soon, the shrieking holochron woke Obi-Wan first. He reached out with one arm and slapped the alarm's off button. Immediately, he became vividly aware of his padawan nuzzled into his neck and tangled around him like vines on a tree. Slowly, he moved to get up, but Anakin held on to him and groaned in protest. Instinctively he ran his hand over her hair, and she relaxed instantly.

She was still asleep.

They were alone.

He took a moment to indulge in the peaceful surroundings and continue to smooth Anakin's hair, and feel her cling him with such abandon that she never showed when she was awake. It was almost comical, he thought. When she was awake, she never showed any semblance of neediness or attachment, and often came across as cold and cruel. Obi-Wan chuckled silently and shook Anakin to try to rouse her. She didn't respond.

_The girl could sleep through a supernova,_ he snickered to himself. He knew he shouldn't allow himself such leniencies, yet this wasn't exactly a habit, so he didn't make himself feel too guilty. Once again, he tried to wake Anakin.

Obi-Wan shook her gently, then stroked her head again. Nothing. He shook her a little harder. A grumble, then nothing. With a heavy sigh, he unwrapped her limbs from around his torso, stood up, and left her in the bed. She was half-awake now, huddled in the warm sheets where he was laying.

_There is no reason to get up this early,_ she thought, and made no effort to move. Meanwhile Obi-Wan grabbed two metal trays they'd eaten dinner off of, walked close to the bed, then banged the trays together as hard as he could. The crash was deafening.

Anakin shouted as she shot up out of bed and flailed onto the floor. She was terrified and scrambled to stand up, uttering a string of Huttese curses, until she heard her master laughing heartily. Now she was infuriated.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded angrily. Obi-Wan wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Well, look who decided to wake up," he said through laughter. Anakin chucked a pillow at him, but she just couldn't stay mad for long, especially when he was smiling like that. An eyeroll helped to suppress her laughter as she stood up straight and lunged toward Obi-Wan. He deflected her with the pillow she'd thrown at him and sent her tripping away. Something told him he really should be more watchful of Anakin and not let her get away with so much. Especially since she already had the ego and aggression of a Hutt. He just couldn't see the point of making their lives harder if it wasn't necessary by keeping Anakin on a tight leash.

The day's tasks were thankfully different than yesterday's: the group would venture out into the field, do several attack drills, and make any final adjustments to the strategy. Anakin was raring to fight, even if it was just a drill. When the signal went off announcing the start of the mock attack, she and Obi-Wan looked at each other with fire in their eyes.

_Remember, this isn't real. Do NOT get carried away,_ he told her through their bond. She gave a wicked smile and nodded right as the "enemy" group of clones burst through the blast doors. Since the blasters were set to fire blanks, the bolts dissipated entirely when they came in contact with their lightsabers, so they couldn't deflect the bolts back onto the clones. That made for a cop-out fight in Anakin's opinion, although she was happy to see any action at all. She fought perfectly in tune with her master and tried to resist the urge to improvise. The urge proved too strong and she began to slice her way through the fray toward the edge of the room.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan yelled, hoping to bring her back to reality.

"Don't worry, Master. I've got this!" she replied. She felt his anger rise up in the Force, but why should she follow a faulty plan? Once at the edge, she climbed up the railing and stole a blaster from a clone who got a little too close. She took out all but a couple of clones (Obi-Wan took care of them) with ease and dropped down to the floor, trying not to look too smug. She was proud of her quick thinking. There was a chance Obi-Wan wouldn't be so proud. She approached him cautiously.

"Padawan," he warned.

"I know, I shouldn't have deviated from the plan. I'm sorry, Master." This was the second time she disobeyed orders on the mission. She thought for sure she was going to get it when they returned to Coruscant.

"Part of being a good fighter is improvising. I do wish you would give me some warning before taking off like that. What if the enemy ganged up on me, or lured you into a trap? Not everything is as it seems, my young apprentice." Anakin nodded. At least he wasn't too mad. She would take a mild critique over a punishment any day.

"But," he continued, "You did very well. Good job." The praise made her smile, and she couldn't stop grinning with pride as the clones and Jedi made their way back to the main hall for the results of the drill.

The next morning, Anakin found herself slightly sad that it was time to leave Yavin IV. Not because of the mission, which she found rather boring and tedious, but because she was able to connect with her master even more. Sure, sharing a bed was very nice, but it wasn't just that. It was how the Force seemed to change when they were together; in battles, meetings, even when they didn't speak to each other, they felt it. Neither of them had ever felt such an active Force bond before, so they weren't quite sure how to handle it.

As the two prepared to head back to Coruscant, Anakin pulled on the Force bond she had with Obi-Wan. He pulled back. Even though they were in separate speederss, they smiled at the same time. That is, until Anakin decided to turn up the music in the cockpit and roar into hyperspace and race her master back to the Jedi temple.


	8. Chapter 8

"Master, you can't be serious!" Anakin laughed as she heard what kind of training exercise her master wanted her to do. She couldn't believe he had any energy; they hadn't even been back at the Jedi temple for an hour since returning from their mission.

"I am serious. Master Yoda swears by it," Obi-Wan replied.

"Levitating objects while in a handstand? How is that helpful? Tell me what that teaches me!" she began to laugh as she walked toward him. "If you're making this up, I swear-"

"It teaches you to listen to your master," he said in a serious tone, narrowing his eyes into an intense expression. Anakin's heart faltered, he'd never looked at her like that before. She gave him a look of surprise and stopped messing around.

"Good," he took a step closer to her, "now, go over there and get started." He motioned toward an empty space in the middle of the training room. Flustered, Anakin walked away from her master, bent over at the waist, and raised her legs upright one at a time. He began to walk around her.

"Find your balance before trying to lift anything. Let the Force guide you." His words were softly spoken, yet firm. The Force stilled in the room.

"Now, start with R2." Anakin raised a hand outward. The little droid gave a few concerned beeps as he rose, but he steadied in the air after a few seconds. Obi-Wan was impressed.

"And the glass bowls." Four glass bowls lifted in tandem. She organized them into a straight line.

"Wow, Anakin. Such control. I can feel the Force flowing through you, through the air, through me…" he trailed off. Anakin allowed a smile to creep across her lips. She had an idea.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt his feet leave the ground. He was rising in the air.

"Anakin!" he said angrily. "Anakin! Put me down this instant! You are supposed to listen-" the Force washed over him, and he became calm.

_Feel the Force flow through you, Master,_ she said gently through their bond, without a hint of her usual sarcasm. She moved him so he was horizontal and levitated him above the floor. He was shocked.

_Such control, such peace. Who are you and what have you done with my Anakin?_ Obi-Wan teased. It was his turn to be the incorrigible one. She smiled and lifted him and the objects higher, making Obi-Wan work to stay in tune with the Force. Anakin shifted as she tried to keep her strength and balance. Her muscles were beginning to strain, and her tunic had slid down, falling over her face and exposing her whole stomach from her ribcage to her hipbones. An exasperated breath escaped her mouth and Obi-Wan opened his eyes to look at her. He allowed his eyes to roam over her form, grazing her defined, muscled stomach, feminine waist- but something caught his eye: two small, straight scars on the inside of her hips. They looked faded, but were still visible, which indicated a deep cut.

_Those are too precise to have come from an accident or a battle,_ he worried. His eyes drifted to the waist of her pants and he saw another scar. This one looked worse; it was jagged and ridged, and a deeper shade of pink, like someone had hastily sliced a knife through her skin. It ran from hipbone to hipbone.

_What in the seven hells_ \- he stopped. He knew exactly what it was, and anger boiled in his chest like he never experienced before. Before he knew it, his emotions had taken over entirely and all caution left him.

"Anakin! What is that?!" he shouted, scaring his apprentice half to death. She jerked sharply and lost her concentration. R2-D2 crashed to the floor with an angry screech and sped out of the room, the glass bowls shattered everywhere. Obi-Wan fell flat on his back, groaning in pain from the impact. Anakin fell over backwards; she scrambled to untangle her tunic from her arms and neck, all while shouting,

"What? What is it? Master? What happened?" He was kneeling beside her before she knew it, pushing her down by the shoulders and trying to keep her tunic lifted over her stomach.

" _Master!_ What are you _doing_?" she screamed, fighting against him. She was so confused, and now she was getting scared. Obi-Wan had never done anything like this before.

"Hush!" he yelled, using the Force to pin her to the ground. She struggled and shouted as his hands pushed her shirt up to her waist, then stopped. His fingers delicately brushed over the scars on her hips and traced over the longer one below them. A look of fear and concern filled his eyes. And then, Anakin understood.

"Ani, my dear padawan," Obi-Wan paused, trying to collect himself, "what are these?"

"I had the operation," she said flatly.

The "operation" was a euphemism for permanent sterilization. Ages and ages ago, it was common to give a padawan the choice to have the operation once they reached adolescence as a way to solidify their pledge to become a Jedi, although more girls chose to do it than boys. The Order began to discourage the practice after they realized how dangerous and unnecessary it was. Now, it was almost unheard of for Jedi to have the operation unless it was medially necessary.

Obi-Wan was speechless. Questions whirled around in his head at terrifying speed, but words wouldn't come out of his mouth. Anakin sensed his confusion and continued,

"I allowed my emotions to get the best of me, that's why I did it. Auriga told me that if I ever wanted to become a Jedi Master, I had to prove the Order I was serious about being a Jedi. I asked her how she proved herself, and she told me it was through hard work, skill, obedience, and- how did she put it?- _other things_. I asked her what other thing were. She told me about the operation and how it wasn't even a big deal if I was sure I wanted to be a Jedi, that it was painless and wouldn't even leave a mark. She even showed me her stomach and pointed to her scars. They were barely visible. She said after the surgery I would take medicine for a year and then never worry about it again. So, I thought about it for a few days and I told her I wanted to do it. And, I swear, I think that was the only time she was really proud of me. That's all I cared about. I shouldn't have let it go that far" Anakin stopped for a moment to look at her master instead of the ceiling. Worry and sorrow furrowed lines into his forehead and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but she knew she had to finish the story.

"We walked to the medbay and she took a few healers aside and talked to them for what felt like forever. Then they took me back and laid me down on a bed, and I don't remember much after that. Something went wrong during the surgery, I think they said I started bleeding or something ruptured, I really don't know exactly what it was. I just remember waking up and being in excruciating pain. It was like a thousand knives stabbing me. I had bacta and plasters all over my stomach; I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. Auriga looked at me in the eyes and then down at the floor. She never said a word. It took almost a year to fully recover and even then I had to go back to the medbay every week for months for some kind of shots to make sure my body didn't go haywire. I lost so much training time. All my friends moved ahead without me and I was stuck either in the medbay or with Auriga all the time because I could barely move. And the scars. The kriffing scars," she spat. Now she was getting upset. "All the bacta in the galaxy won't make them go away. Every time I look at them I remember how stupid I was to let her talk me into it."

There was silence for a moment. Obi-Wan's hands never stopped brushing over her delicate skin. He was absolutely dumbfounded. Sickened to the core.

"How old were you?" he muttered, trying not to let too much emotion escape.

"Thirteen," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. He breathed heavily, pinching he bridge of his nose. A wave of nausea hit him.

"Anakin, I- I'm so sorry. I can't believe- kriff," he swore as he gently pulled her tunic down and grabbed her hands to help her up. He couldn't help but stroke her face as he spoke,

"You were a child. You didn't know any better. All you wanted to do was to please your Master and make her proud, just like any good padawan at that age. She took advantage of you. How in the seven hells she thought it was acceptable to do that is beyond me, but I do not ever want you to blame yourself for what happened. Pressuring a child to have a dangerous and unnecessary operation, that's sickening! You could have died!" He moved his hands to her shoulders and grabbed them.

"This is not your fault, Ani. She had no business being a Jedi Master, and I'm sorry you had to grow up living with her. Gods, I'm so sorry. I wish I had known -" he stopped short before his voice started to crack. By now tears were falling from Anakin's eyes. Not because of the bad memories, but because Obi-Wan said what she so desperately longed to hear: Auriga was wrong, and shouldn't have treated her so poorly. Anakin managed to convince herself that she was just being weak because she didn't see eye-to-eye with Auriga, but hearing from someone else that wasn't true lifted a huge burden from her heart.

"Master, there was no way you could have known-" she stuttered. Anakin felt a flood of emotions she'd built up over the years flood over her.

_You aren't weak, not in the slightest. You wouldn't be here if you were. Feeling isn't bad. Allowing feelings to cloud your judgment is, but feeling isn't a sign of weakness. You're only human, Anakin. You're strong in the Force,_ Obi-Wan said to her through their bond. That was it; Anakin allowed herself to truly feel emotion for the first time in a very long while. Obi-Wan felt the storm of pain she felt through the Force and it ached in his chest, it made tears dim his eyes. Not knowing exactly what to do to provide emotional comfort, he just put his arms around her carefully. He wasn't exactly sure if she was crying or not- he didn't hear any noises indicating she was crying, but she was shaking slightly.

After a minute, he felt the crushing pain let up, and Anakin looked up. She squeezed him tight before letting go. Blue eyes met gray ones, and both of them felt their bond strengthen.

"You really don't understand how happy I am to be back with you, Master," she said, rubbing her face in an effort to erase any traces of her outburst.

"I am so proud of you, Anakin. Your natural skill, your wit and intelligence, you will be a fine Jedi. Some day, you will be a fine master." He felt her fingers reach up and brush stray tears off his face as he had done for her several times in the past. As they stood up, they surveyed the mess of shattered glass everywhere.

"I'm sorry I dropped them," Anakin said, glass crunching under her boot.

"I'm the one who shouted at you while you were in deep concentration. I'll go find a droid to clean this up; I want you to find a quiet place to meditate. If what I felt through the Force is any indication of what you felt, you need to regain your balance."

She nodded and began to walk away, but she turned back before leaving the room.

"Master?" she called.

"Yes, Ani?"

"Thank you. Really, thank you."

He knew exactly what she meant, and the smile she gave him sent a ray of warmth through the Force to him. She felt the same warmth when she looked in his eyes.

As soon as he could, Obi-Wan called an emergency meeting with the council and told them how Auriga convinced Anakin to have the operation. The other masters were absolutely appalled and agreed to launch an investigation to discover if this was a common thing on the other planet or an isolated incident. Regardless of hoe the investigation turned up, they felt is was their responsibility to ensure no other padawan ever went thorugh what Anakin did. The Council drafted a motion to present to the senate at the next meeting to forbid all medically unnecessary sterilizations of padawans. After the meeting, Obi-Wan felt some of the guilt weighing him down vanish. He knew it wouldn't change anything for Anakin now, but he found some comfort in knowing he might have prevented another child from suffering.

***

Obi-Wan returned to the apartment that night and decided to do some reading on the long debrief he'd been given from the mission to Yavin. Anakin had yet to come home, and he thought she'd be happy to see her own bed. He could almost see it: she would waltz in, fling her door open and fall face first into her bed with a muffled groan. The thought made Obi-Wan smile, but also made him slightly sad. There was no longer a need for him to invite her into his bed, wrap his arms around her, and fall asleep with their bodies tangled into one. He also wouldn't wake up with her lying on his chest instead of a pillow. With an embarrassed huff, he refocused his thoughts and turned his datapad on to read the debriefing.

Anakin returned home not long after.

"Well hello there! Where have you been?" he chided.

"Oh, nowhere. Just meditating in one of my favorite places."

"And where might that be?" he raised an eyebrow, trying to conceal the smirk on his face.

"That's a secret," she teased. Obi-Wan turned to face her as she headed to her room.

"Dear one, we are master and padawan. There are no secrets between us!" That made her laugh.

_If only he knew_ , she thought. When she felt her cheeks turn pink, she decided to fire back with something that would change the subject and ruffle his feathers.

"I bet you'll be happy to have your own bed and not have to share it with a shivering padawan." He nervously chuckled at her.

"I can thing of worse things than sharing a bed with you, Anakin." No sooner had the words left his mouth did he realize how wrong it sounded.

"I mean, it's just a part of the job. It's not anything bad or-"

"I know, Master. I was just joking!" Anakin silently snickered at her success at embarrassing Obi-Wan.

He breathed a sigh of relief as she disappeared into her room, his face turning a rather vivid shade of red. She wondered to herself,

_Maybe he enjoyed it as much as I did._

Obi-Wan's thoughts drifted to the last nights they spent on Yavin: wrapped up in a tight embrace to conserve heat, their fingers laced in between each other's, the undeniable spark in the Force every time they touched. He stopped himself before he started projecting his memories through the Force where Anakin could see them and silently scolded himself for how much he was getting attached to her. Besides, he of all people knew not to blur the boundaries between master and apprentice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welp, I'm back. Thank the Force. I've got some good stuff in the works for this story and another new fic in progress! I uploaded the first chapter of that last night, so be sure to check it out if you want. As always, reviews, comments, favorites, etc. make my day. Thanks for reading!


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